UPDATE: Missing Karoo lion still at large

It has been almost a month since the lion escaped from Karoo National Park in February, but the animal is yet to be found.

SANParks said in a statement that the last confirmed spoor of the missing Karoo lion was followed by rangers and trackers on Monday to about 42km northeast of the town of Sutherland in the Northern Cape.

This is where they will continue their search today.

According to the statement, reports were received yesterday of four sheep and two goats killed on a farm in the vicinity.

The Bidvest Protea Coin team, who joined the search party on Friday to offer their assistance has put their infrared technology to work at night in an attempt to get closer to the animal. They have unfortunately not had any luck over the past three nights.

The team consisted of a tracker and a helicopter fitted with forward-looking infrared (FLIR), or thermal imaging infrared cameras that allows the operator to pick up heat signatures on the ground over a radius of 10 kilometres when flying at night.